The Wilted Iris
by Under A Cloud
Summary: (One-shot)(Implied Alpha Pair and mild spoiler) When the news came through that Yukimura didn't make it through the surgery, Rikkaidai's strongman Sanada felt as though all the colors had been drained from his world.


I was pondering upon what if's, then plot bunnies nipped at me and coaxed me to write this. It is not the best take but I'm writing what I feel like writing, so, I'm open to flaming as long as it's not senseless flaming. (: I wasn't really in the feeling when I was writing it… But I tried. I'll edit it when I find the time.

The story behind the title: I actually read fanfictions in Chinese as well and I had seen a Chinese writer describing Yukimura to be like a Purple Iris. After thinking through it, I thought that there couldn't be a second flower that encompasses Yukimura so fully. As elegant as it is beautiful, as classy as it is frail. Purple Iris is truly a wonderful match to Yukimura's character. The use of the word 'The' is an attempt to portray Yukimura's irreplaceable position in Sanada's heart. I was debating between 'A' or 'The', but in the end I chose 'The', because Yukimura is 'the' child of god.

27/5/13 *UPDATED* I realized that this piece of work is seriously severely lacking in emotions after I read a Chinese line. Not sure if there's any other Chinese here, but I think that this is truly a beautiful line: 那两个少年，一个惊艳了时光，一个温柔了岁月。Translated into English: Those two teenage boys; one who's so amazing that he dazzles time; one who's so gentle that he even left an imprint on time.

Warning: There is implied yaoi and mild spoiler as well, so halt in your step if you're allergic to either of the categories I had pointed out.

Summary: (one-shot)(Implied Alpha Pair and mild spoiler) When the news came through that Yukimura didn't make it through the surgery, Rikkaidai's strongman Sanada felt as though all the colors had been drained from his world.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Prince of Tennis. Wouldn't be writing a fanfiction if I did, y'know?

**The Wilted Iris**

"_I'm sorry, we have tried our best."_

How could such a simple sentence bat seven people to the deepest pits of hell?

_What is happening? Is there a blackout? Oh wait, no, look. It's grey! The world is all grey. Who selected the grayscale option on the camera? Who, who was it…_

Sanada could remember his first encounter with Yukimura as vividly as though it had just been yesterday. It was eleven years ago when his grandfather took him to the tennis club where he met Yukimura for the first time. Yukimura Seiichi, the person who is, or rather, who was dubbed the 'Child of God'.

Indeed, Yukimura had always been the epitome of perfection ever since they were young. Sports, academics, talents—he was unparalleled in all areas. No matter which angle he was scrutinized from, Yukimura was immaculate. To add on to that, all that endless potential is stored in a walking vessel of ethereal beauty carved by God himself.

He was blessed; with the best wishes of all the archangels; with flawless good looks, albeit the slightly feminine features. He had luscious hair which was the shade of the evening sea which he always wore in the same shoulder-length, disheveled hairstyle. His eyes were a sparkling cerulean blue that always twinkled with merriments when he was amused. His skin was always pale like alabaster, which, even though Sanada would never openly admit it, worried him at a point in time. Yukimura was a prince right out of a fairytale, the physical manifestation of an ideal man. He was elegant, charismatic, polite, talented and everything that would constitute one's fantasy. It was truly as though this boy, whom had been his best friend for eleven years, was godsend.

Good things never last for long and Sanada knew it all too well, which is why upon hearing Yukimura's death news, he had ironically been the most composed of the whole Rikkaidai team. Nobody expected Yukimura's surgery to fail. Everyone believed that he was going to return. The Rikkaidai team had an unyielding faith in Yukimura that he was going to make it back in time for the Nationals, and they also promised him that they were going to emerge champion for the regional tournament. Neither side fulfilled their promise, so Sanada supposed it was… Fair.

Fair? To hell with being fair! Sanada gripped his cap so tightly that the flat portion was nearly permanently bent. He snapped of his trance which seemed to have lasted for an eternity when it had only been barely a few seconds. Sanada inhaled deeply, his voice coming out hushed and rugged as he glanced over at his team. It's apparent the rest of the team didn't take to the news well either.

Renji seems to be the second calmest right next to him, but Sanada detected the ominous aura surrounding him. Renji was definitely not as apathetic as he appeared to be. Yukimura's death was… Not a light blow to Renji.

The reactions of Nio and Hiroshi had been the most normal. The Trickster-and-Gentleman pair was a lot quieter than usual. Even Nio couldn't muster the energy to pull those silly pranks on the team anymore. Yukimura's death news had been much too sudden for him to digest. The Gentleman's head was lowered, as opposed to his usual proud, pristine posture. His expression is unreadable to the team.

Marui was shocked by the news. He didn't even realize that the bubble he had been blowing before the news struck the team had already popped and the gum was splattered all over his mouth like a ridiculous splash art. On the other hand, Jackal was even more monotonous than usual. His face was void of all emotions, but Sanada could see the dab of disbelief in his eyes.

Kirihara's reaction was the most aggressive, but it was to be expected since Kirihara revered Yukimura above all the rest of the team. His eyes turned bloodshot instantaneously when the doctor came out, and a blood-curdling "Kuso!" was emitted from the depth of his throat. His cry was filled with anguish, so forlorn and morose that even the most insensitive soul could appeal to his despair.

How could Yukimura, Rikkaidai's pillar of support just leave his team behind like that?

"It's all my fault, if I had played a little more serious, if I had been more careful, we would had defeated Seigaku and Yukimura-buchou wouldn't had, he wouldn't had—" Kirihara gripped his fists tightly as he muttered angrily aloud.

"That will be enough, Kirihara," Sanada's cool eyes lingered on Kirihara for a moment before he cast his gaze away, "we are in a hospital, keep your volume down if you don't want to be thrown out. Besides, even if we had won the tournament, it will not change the results of Yukimura's operation."

Kirihara was silenced by Sanada's firm tone. The red soon drained from his eyes, and he collapsed against the wall. He knew better than to kick up a fuss. If Sanada-fukubuchou; Yukimura-buchou's best friend of eleven years is not losing himself, nobody else has the right to.

Other than Sanada himself, nobody knew how much it took out of him to produce that sentence. As much as he was devastated over the loss of his best friend and source of faith, he remembered his responsibility as the vice-captain of Rikkaidai's tennis team. He didn't have the chance to wail and flail about because Yukimura had entrusted the team to him. He can't and won't fail Yukimura's expectations of him. Because this was the last thing he could do for him.

After a failed attempt to reach Yukimura's parents who were nearly never in Kantou, Sanada's expression darkened.

"Excuse me please; I will be back shortly," He murmured with a stoic face before turning to leave without waiting for a response from his team. He didn't know how much longer he could hold it in, and he certainly didn't want to lose his composure in front of his team. He had a reputation to keep up, and he's going to keep it up even more now that Yukimura is gone. Yukimura wouldn't want to see that disgraceful side of him either, Sanada knew.

He left the hospital which was filled with the pungent smell of ammonia but before he could enjoy the refreshing scent of fresh air, he was instantly greeted by a sudden heavy downpour which drenched him from head to feet. Sanada was unaffected, and he kept walking steadily in the rain. People who passed by him queerly peered at this teenager boy, but not a soul bothered to approach him. To them, Sanada was just another typical stranger in a typical rainy afternoon.

It's all grey. Sanada mused as he gazed at the sky. The light, stinging pain of the rainwater falling into his eyes didn't bother him, if anything, it made him feel a little better and recollected. Just a day ago, Yukimura had still been beaming at him and cheering them on for the tournament. Just a day ago, Yukimura had still been breathing and living. Just a day ago… He had convinced himself that Yukimura was just his best friend. _Bull shit._

He never realized how deep his feelings for Yukimura ran until the final bell was sounded. What he had always brushed it off as mere, stupid best friend vibes, had actually been something so much more. Best friends? He scowled at himself. He knew that his feelings for Yukimura had long elevated, but he eschewed this emotion because it wasn't normal for a boy to love a boy.

The first time he had realized that he harboured such feelings towards Yukimura was in their freshman year, but he was a hot-blooded teenage boy at that time and he thought it was teenage hormones that went horribly wrong. _It's only because Yukimura is so beautiful_, he told himself. It's wrong to treat Yukimura as a girl just because he looks like one. He was disgusted by his own deformed feelings. Yukimura was pure and demure like the most perfect creation of God, how could he taint a celestial entity? More importantly, both he and Yukimura were of the male specie. He struggled with this new, profound emotion, up and until they entered Rikkaidai's tennis club which drained all their energy. This unrequited love was put aside by Sanada to focus on tennis. After a period of time, he thought that this twisted emotion had died down.

_Wrong. Dead wrong. _His feelings towards Yukimura did not lessen, but instead, it multiplied exponentially with time. This love, this wretched feeling was already deeply rooted within his heart, but he subconsciously denied it until Yukimura died. It's all too late, too late... Even if he's willing to challenge the social norm for this love now, he would never have the chance. If only, if only if Yukimura was still alive... But then again, he never knew if a confession would become a burden on Yukimura instead. After all, Yukimura had never displayed any affection towards him. It could just be him, harbouring these malicious, sinful emotions towards Yukimura. Sanada held his fists tightly.

He could feel it when the doctor announced Yukimura's death. The way those words literally dug out a piece of his heart and manifested into a chain that strangled his throat so tightly - he couldn't breathe. All color drained from his world, it was almost as if a permanent grayscale lens had been put over his world. There were no more colours, no more sunshine, no more beauty in life.

He continued walking down the streets, his gaze unwavering. It wasn't until he passed by a florist when something caught his eyes. He halted in his path, his cold, emotionless eyes observing the bundle flowers wrapped up using blue decorative paper.

It was a bouquet of purple iris nearly at the end of its season.

Numerous stalks are already withering, and the rest have nearly passed their prime, even the blue paper was slightly torn, perhaps due to the carelessness of the florist. But none can undermine the elegance of this flower. Iris is easily one of the most graceful flowers, and purple iris is especially befitting of a regal person such as Yukimura. He paused for a moment; and it seemed as if another eternity has passed at that moment, before he took the bouquet off the stand and went into the shop.

It took Sanada over an hour to return to the hospital. He wasn't surprised that the entire team was still lingering outside the operation theatre. They seem to have regained themselves, as evident in their solemn, but otherwise normal expressions.

"Fukubuchou," they greeted lightly in unison. Nobody questioned Sanada as to where the bouquet came from, or why he was completely drenched.

"Go on in," Sanada brushed pass them as he entered the room. The hospital had been kind enough to allow the patient's friends and relatives some time to digest the news, perhaps because of guilt as well. After all, the hospital had to shoulder some responsibilities for the failure of the surgery as well.

The room was dimly lit, and the smell of disinfectant filled everyone's nostrils. Equipment were carelessly scattered all over the stand beside where Yukimura's body lied.

Sanada walked over, his steps firm even though his mind was in a state of perturbation. Yukimura's face was as seraphic as ever. Because he had always been pale, Yukimura appeared as if he was merely in a slumber. But he wasn't, and everyone knew. A small smile was playing at Yukimura's lips, as though he had been remembering something fun at that moment his heart beat stopped. Sanada felt something stinging his heart, but he reined himself in.

Yukimura is gone. He's really gone.

He stood next to Yukimura, and placed the bouquet on his arms which were crossed neatly over his chest. The rest of the team stood a couple of steps back, as they watched Sanada's actions in hallowed silence.

On this day, it rained heavily.

On this day, Rikkaidai lost their first game since the beginning of the season.

On this day, Rikkaidai lost their captain.

On this day, Sanada lost the person dearest to him, and a part of his heart died with the same person.

On this day… Everything was lost.

* * *

I know there're some grammatical errors out there that I've made... So feel free to point them out through private msgs/ reviews. I was entangled in Sanada's emotions and seemed to miss the momentum... So I know this is certainly not a good take.. Sighs. I'll eventually come around to editing it.


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